Chapter 45: The Black Armor Ranger

"Wake up, wake up!" Early in the morning, Qu Gao was woken up in his sleep, but last night he drank too much and was so dizzy that he only turned over and fell asleep on his stomach again.

"Oops!"

The man suddenly kicked him on the ass heavily, Qu Gao got up in pain, he looked at the person in annoyance, and saw that it was Shi Min, half of his arrogance disappeared, but he was still unhappy and asked, "What does the general command?" ”

Shi Min said coldly: "Your martial arts are really bad, I really don't know how Zhang You died in your hands, from today on, you will get up every day and practice martial arts for two hours, and I will train you personally." ”

Practicing for two hours a day? Are you kidding! Qu Gao wanted to open his mouth to argue, but seeing that Shi Min's expression was serious, he was not his usual friendly appearance, so he didn't dare to say much, so he had to obediently put on his clothes and go to the martial arts field with Shi Min to practice.

In the spring of February, Shi Min led his subordinates to march to Xuchang, Xiping, and the three cities of Runan, and Qu Gao stayed in Luoyang.

Soon after Shi Min's expedition, Zhao Guo Shihu sent people to Luoyang, Qu Gao as Shi Min's subordinates to greet the envoy, only to learn that Shi Min had received a military order to capture Xiangyang years ago, but it was kept secret, and Qu Gao did not hear the slightest rumor about it.

"Qu Lang, General Shi Min won't be under the banner of attacking Xuchang, Xiping, and Runan, but in fact, he is secretly taking Xiangyang, right?" After the envoy left, Jian Yi asked Qu Gao worriedly.

Qu Gao recalled that when Shi Min went on the expedition, he repeatedly told him to be optimistic about Luoyang, his words were bright and fair, and he didn't seem to be deceived, he believed Shi Min for no reason, and he didn't have any doubts in his heart, and said: "No!" General Shi disdained such tricks. ”

"Qu Lang, it's not good!" Yang suddenly panicked and burst in.

"What's the matter?"

Yang said: "Since the beginning of the spring moon, our grain caravan from Xiangyang to Luoyang has been repeatedly plundered, I ordered the caravan to change lanes several times, but the gang of robbers is elusive, no matter which way the caravan goes, they can always meet them, now it has not been more than a month without grain and rice, if this trade route is interrupted, Luoyang will have no grain and rice to continue." ”

Qu Gao was shocked, now the spring ploughing has not yet begun, and the harvest will take half a year, this grain road is the lifeblood of Luoyang, and there is no room for loss, but I don't know where the people who rob the grain are. "Is it a mob bandit? Or Hu Qi? Maybe...... Southern forces? Qu Gao asked.

"I don't know! According to the people who fled back from the caravan, the group of about 10 horsemen, dressed in black armor and covered with black cloth, could not see whether they were Hu or Han, only that they came and went like the wind, and they withdrew after robbing food and property, and did not know where to hide. Yang said.

"Ranger again!" Since the Hu people rebelled, Qu Gao hated these Hu horses who came and went without a trace, they burned and looted everywhere, and every place was a disaster. When Qu Gao escorted Zhu Yan's caravan, he also encountered a ranger, and Zhong Lichi and Tian Hong were killed in battle, and Qu Gao hated not being able to cook these rangers alive. Therefore, he set up another caravan and personally led the eight swords out of the city to escort them.

This caravan rushed from Luoyang to Xiangyang, and did not encounter Hu cavalry robbers along the way. After Xiangyang easily obtained grain and rice, the group continued to escort the caravan north.

When you go to Nanyang, it is almost evening, and there are many inconveniences for dark night merchants, so you have to find a place to camp and rest. Qu Gao looked around, it seemed that he was not far from the place where Zhu Yan was buried, and now he hadn't seen him for so long, so he took the caravan and camped not far from Zhu Yan's bones.

In order to prevent Hu Qi from robbing, Qu Gao gathered the grain and rice goods in the middle, the caravan guarded around the goods, and the eight swords and himself guarded the periphery, and when the caravan was arranged, Qu Gao took the eight swords to Zhu Yan's tomb to pay respects.

Between the mountains and fields, there are many weeds and dust in spring, but the front of Zhu Yan's tomb is clean, and there are still a few plates of sacrifices, as if someone has come not long ago. Qu Gao thought to himself, the caravan was founded by Zhu Yan, although the Yang family recruited some new people, but there were also many old Zhu Yan's old departments. Perhaps they walked this trade route, and when they passed by, they made sacrifices with their hands. In this way, Zhu Yan can see his caravan coming and going here every day, and it is not lonely.

"Ah Yan, are you okay?"

"I often feel lonely after you're gone."

"You have used all your life to promote my Qu family to the rank of a scholar, and now I have done it, but you are no longer there."

"Ah Yan, do you know, even the capital of the jade-faced king is full of praise for you, saying that you are the most courageous and talented woman he has ever seen in his life!"

"What I'm wearing today is your favorite red wedding dress, take a look, the clothes are not wrinkled, right?"

"I often think, that night in the backyard of the Nanyang Palace, if I didn't ask the sentence 'Are you willing to go with me', maybe you would be able to spend your life in the palace, yes or no?"

"Today's sunset is also beautiful."

Qu Gao chatted with Zhu Yan without saying a word, until night fell, the spring breeze of the two winds carried the chill of the steep, and the eight swords put on a black coat for Qu Gao, and persuaded: "Qu Lang, it's time to go back, the girl is also going to rest." ”

Qu Gao said goodbye to Zhu Yan, returned to the camp, and gathered in front of the fire, where the black charcoal pile was billowing with smoke, choking everyone to cough.

"Qu Lang, why did you deliberately bring this cheap black charcoal to make a fire?" Jian Er coughed a few times and asked with a bitter face.

Qu Gao piled up the flames while saying slowly: "After tonight, we will arrive in Luoyang tomorrow, and the group of rangers has not yet made a move, I am afraid that he will not find us." ”

Kenji let out an "oh", as if he understood Qu Gao's intentions, he raised his vigilance and looked around, but he found no trace of those rangers.

"Don't worry, since it is a black-armored ranger, when the moon is dark and the wind is high, and the lights are burned out, now we are all on alert, they dare not come to attack, and rest in peace." After Qu Gao put the last piece of charcoal, he went into the tent and blew the lamp, and the rest of the people also went into the tent to rest.

I don't know how long it took, but the sound of horses' hooves rushed towards this place. Although all the people were closing their eyes and recuperating, they listened to the six directions, and when they saw a cavalry approaching, they kept their own positions. The sound of horses' hooves was getting closer and closer, Qu Gao walked out of the tent wearing a black fur, holding the Lu Li sword in his left hand and holding thirty-six slashes in his right hand, looking at the galloping rangers, the murderous aura on his body soared violently, and his eyes seemed to be about to erupt fire.

"Leave your belongings behind, but spare your life!" The black horsemen rushed to the front of the formation, and the first horse shouted loudly, and then more than ten horsemen stopped together, and their spears came out in unison, pointing at everyone.

Seeing this, the eight swords each drew their swords out of their sheaths, and were about to fight, when they suddenly heard Qu Gao shouting: "Stop! ”

"Jun'er, are you going to rob my caravan?"

The two sides were shocked when they heard this, Qu Gao lit the torch, the fire shone on his handsome face, and the man led by the black horse hurriedly dismounted and bowed: "Uncle! ”

Speaking of which, this team of rangers is still created by Qu Gao! Last year's spring hunt, Zhong Lijun was appreciated by Zhang You for his bravery, and was promoted to the captain of the ten, Qu Gao personally went to the Ordnance Bureau to build a fine iron thistle spear with ten standards of cold light essence for him, and extorted ten good horses from Shen Yi to equip this ten-person team. At that time, Qu Gao thought, since the stragglers of the Hu people are like ghosts and ghosts, they come and go without a shadow, and they do all kinds of evil; The Jin people can also be their way, and they will also scatter the north with a ranger, and when they encounter the scattered Hu people, they will meet the head attack, and when they meet the Hu army, they will retreat and wander, and let the Hu people taste the taste of this appendage bones!

Unexpectedly, Zhong Lijun actually did this, although he covered his face with a black scarf, but looking at his figure, he was still a young man. Qu Gao looked at Zhongli Jun and asked in a cold voice: "Jun'er is very skilled, I taught you to interfere with your beard with a ranger, but you have repeatedly robbed my caravan!" ”

"How dare the little nephew!" Zhong Lijun hurriedly explained: "This caravan is not named, and it goes back and forth to Xiangluo, the little nephew only said that it was a profiteer who collaborated with the enemy to make a profit, so he stopped the robbery many times, if he knew that it was his uncle, he would definitely escort it all the way!" ”

"You don't dare!" Most of the anger in Qu Gao's heart disappeared, no wonder Zhong Lijun, this grain road was secretly opened up by him and Wang Shou, and no one else knew about it. Zhong Lijun stumbled into it by mistake and robbed him of more than a month's food, but he couldn't find a place to reason about this matter. "You robbed my seven teams of grain, rice and property, where did they go?" Qu Gao asked.

Zhong Lijun pointed ahead and said, "A hundred steps forward from my aunt's tomb, there is a small hill, where my little nephew has dug a cellar, and the grain, rice and belongings are hidden in it. Then he got up and said, "I'll go and get it and return it to my uncle!" ”

"No need! Since you have snatched it by your ability, you can dispose of it yourself. Qu Gao was still a little annoyed at the beginning, but when he thought that Zhu Yan's caravans were all equipped with martial artists, Zhong Lijun's ranger team was also able to snatch grain, rice and property from the caravan. Seeing Zhong Lijun become the climate, Qu Gao couldn't help but feel proud in his heart, after all, he also cultivated it himself, and the greater his ability, the happier he was.

Hearing that Qu Gao kept those batches of goods for himself, Zhong Lijun was obviously surprised, and then said: "Uncle is now in a high position, and the reward is so generous!" ”

Qu Gao was displeased when he heard this: "Do you know that I have surrendered to Zhao, and you know that I have become the king of Luoyang, but you think I am a traitor?" ”

Zhong Lijun shook his head again and again, and said: "I know that my uncle descended Zhao for Xiangyang, and I also know that my uncle endured humiliation and burden, and he will return to Xiangyang one day!" ”

Qu Gao felt a little better in his heart, since this was the case, the matter of robbing the grain was overturned. When Qu Gao saw Zhong Lijun, he inevitably recalled the old people and old things in his heart, but now the vicissitudes of life are left, leaving only pathos and regret. "Ah Yan's tomb, you often clean it, right?"

Zhong Lijun nodded "yes". Qu Gao praised: "You have a heart." ”